This is the fourth time that the Architekturzentrum Wien is hosting the exhibition for the prestigious Mies van der Rohe Award. In recent years the exhibition with a focus on exceptional visionary architecture from Europe, held every two years, has become ever more popular. The Mies van der Rohe Award, today one of the most prestigious architecture prizes competed for in Europe, was launched in 1987 by the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe — Barcelona. Projects are awarded prizes whose innovative character serves as orientation, even as manifestos, for the development of contemporary architecture.

The award is intended to promote the profession and as encouragement for architects at the outset of their careers. Both prizes, the main grant and the Emerging Architect grant, are awarded for exceptional achievements in conceptual, technical and structural terms. Five finalists were selected from the 420 projects nominated by European institutions and international experts in 2015 — the eminent members of the jury were ultimately most convinced by the Szczecin Philharmonic by the office of Spanish architects Fabrizio Barozzi and Alberto Veiga. The Emerging Architect Special Mention Award goes to ARQUITECTURA-G for the Casa Luz project in Cilleros, Spain.